Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026

Benefits of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in an Asynchronous Heart Failure Model Induced by Left Bundle Branch Ablation and Rapid Pacing
Published on: December 11, 2017
Laughter-induced left bundle branch block
Grant V Chow1, Dipan Desai, David D Spragg
1Department of Medicine and Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA. gchow2@jhmi.edu
Abstract:
We present the case of a patient with ischemic heart disease and intermittent left bundle branch block, reproducibly induced by laughter. Following treatment of ischemia with successful deployment of a drug-eluting stent, no further episodes of inducible LBBB were seen. Transient ischemia, exacerbated by elevated intrathoracic pressure during laughter, may have contributed to onset of this phenomenon.
Related Concept Videos
Mitral Stenosis I: Introduction
Dysrhythmias IV: Characteristics of Bradyarrhythmias
Cardiac Catheterization III: Left Heart Catheterization
Mitral Regurgitation I: Introduction
Depolarizing Blockers: Mechanism of Action
Succinylcholine is the most commonly used depolarizing blocker. Chemically, it constitutes two molecules of acetylcholine joined together by an acetate methyl group. They act on the receptors in the same way as acetylcholine. Because succinylcholine...
Mitral Valve Prolapse I: Introduction

